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SACRAMENTO -- The
rate of both farmland loss and
urbanization in San Joaquin County
accelerated since 2000, according to a
new map released by the California
Department of Conservation.
Urban land increased
by more than 6,200 acres between 2000
and 2002, with agricultural land
declining by a similar amount. Sixty
percent of the newly developed land was
prime farmland. This compares to 2,555
new urban acres observed during the
1998-2000 mapping cycle.
The Farmland Mapping
and Monitoring Program (FMMP), part of
DOC's Division of Land Resource
Protection, documents land-use
conversion on 45.8 million acres of
California’s private and public land
every two years. The maps and statistics
are designed to help local governments
evaluate land-use planning decisions.
The 2002 analysis is nearly complete
statewide, while 2004 mapping is
underway.
“This information
helps counties and cities see the
patterns and make informed choices about
how they want to direct growth in the
future,” Department of Conservation
Director Darryl Young said. “The
population of California will continue
to grow, and it’s vital that we ensure
there’s enough room for people and
agriculture.”
The Farmland Mapping
and Monitoring Program classifies land
as either farmland (prime being the best
of four types of farmland), grazing
land, urban land, other land or water.
The “other” category includes
low-density "ranchettes," wetlands, and
brush or timberlands unsuitable for
grazing.
In San Joaquin
County, according to the most recent
FMMP report, 6,211 acres were urbanized
– an area larger than the recently
flooded Upper Jones Tract. Since the
initial FMMP survey in 1990, the county
has gained 16,600 urban acres.
The net loss of farm
and grazing land, which includes
conversions such as ecological
restoration or low-density rural
development, was 20,700 acres between
1990-2002.
In addition, cities
within San Joaquin County reported that
nearly 6,800 acres – 63 percent of which
is prime farmland – have been committed
to future non-agricultural use due to
the approval of subdivision maps, the
sale of bonds for infrastructure, or
other permanent commitments.
Examples of recent
urbanization in San Joaquin County
include about 1,000 acres of new homes
and commercial buildings in the Tracy
area; a 480-acre Dunmore Homes
development in South Lodi; the 580-acre
Spanos West Development; 415 acres of
new residential in West Stockton; 172
acres including the Jack Tone Golf
Course and new homes in the Ripon area;
200 acres of new homes and freeway
exchanges in Lathrop; and 173 acres of
new homes and commercial buildings by
the Stockton Airport.
The agricultural land
in San Joaquin County will continue to
face development pressure in the
foreseeable future. The California
Department of Finance projects that the
county’s population will increase from
about 573,600 in 2000 to nearly 890,000
by 2020.
According to the
California Department of Food and
Agriculture, the gross value of San
Joaquin County’s agricultural production
was more than $1.3 billion in 2002.
The maps have been
sent to county planning officials and
organizations such as the county Farm
Bureau, Local Agency Formation
Commission, city planners, irrigation
districts and county resource
conservation districts. Printed copies,
enlargements, or digital versions of the
maps are available to the public. Call
(916) 324-0859 or email
fmmp@consrv.ca.gov
for more information.
The latest statewide
study by the FMMP, Farmland Conversion
Report 1998-2000, was released last
June. More than 91,000 acres were
urbanized throughout the state – a
30-percent increase from the 1996-98
mapping cycle – and 27 percent of that
total came from irrigated farmland.
Through the
Department of Conservation, the state
offers programs that provide financial
incentives to keep land in agricultural
use. The California Farmland Conservancy
Program makes grants
available to local governments, land
trusts or resource conservation
districts to purchase permanent
agricultural conservation easements from
willing landowners. These easements
prohibit future development. Farmland
Security Zone and Williamson Act
contracts provide potential tax benefits
to landowners who commit to keeping
their land in agricultural use for
periods of 20 or 10 years, respectively.
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